UFC on FX 3 official for May 15, Lawlor vs. MacDonald also set

As MMAjunkie.com first reported, UFC on FX 3 will take place on May 15.

UFC executives today officially announced that the previously reported fight card will indeed air on FX and serve as UFC on FX 3.

Additionally, a previously reported bout between Tom Lawlor (7-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and Jason MacDonald (25-15 MMA, 6-7 UFC) is also official for the event.

UFC on FX 3 will take place in Fairfax, Va., and while the UFC has yet to officially release venue information, MMAjunkie.com has confirmed with multiple sources that the city’s Patriot Center will host the event.

It’s the UFC’s second trip to the Patriot Center following UFC Fight Night 20, which took place Jan. 11, 2010 and featured a lightweight headliner between Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz. The event was a reported sellout with a $730,000 live gate and 8,500 in attendance.

MacDonald’s return hung in the balance prior to the official announcement. A five-year leave of absence he took from his day job as a corrections officer ended this past year, and after two stints inside the octagon totaling 13 fights, it was time to get back to work.

At 1-2 on his most recent UFC contract, his upcoming fight may be do-or-die.

Lawlor’s position might not be much safer. The veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 8″ is 1-3 in his past four appearances and stands at 3-3 in his octagon career. Most recently, he was choked out cold at UFC 139 by up-and-comer Chris Weidman, which reversed a unanimous decision over onetime middleweight contender Patrick Cote at UFC 121.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.